Meet the Patel’s
If you follow me on Social Media you will know I have been going on and on about this program.
I first started it when I was in the USA, honestly the night me and my friend put it on I was shattered so I didn't get very far and decided it was bedtime (severe jet lag)
Recently I was on a short trip to Brussels with another friend and we had been out all day, our phones were dying so we decided to chill at the hotel for a while and find something to watch until we were ready to go out again.
‘Meet the Patel’s’ isn't on Netflix in the UK so I had completely forgotten about it but when I saw it I said to my friend we should watch this.
We started it and I kid you not we were in hysterics.
Ravi is an amazingly funny guy and his personality shines through the documentary. But what really got us was we are both Indian and from very modern families, yet my mum has always told me I should marry an Indian and I knew this from a young age so I was not surprised at the struggle Ravi faced when he wanted to date a non Indian and why he could not tell his parents.
The moment you decide to allow your parents to try and find someone for you you have to be open to the fact they will pick people they like not necessarily someone you would.
I am finding that right now and its not that I have asked my mum to find me someone but there is a guy we know and I am not attracted to him at all, yes he has a personality but I just don’t feel that he is my type, yet every other week my mum brings him up and says I should go on a date with him atleast. My friend thinks I should just so my mum stops going on about it but I don’t think that is right in any way shape or form if I am genuinely not interested.
Anyway this brings me back to Ravi as he faces an even tougher situation he has not only told his parents to find him a girl but he has left out a crucial bit of information, he was dating a non Indian before that, so in essence he has lied to his parents.
His struggle to find a ‘Patel’ girl takes him all over the USA and it is actually worrying that things like the ‘Patel Convention’ still exist in this day and age. Caste for me is not an issue and nor is it for my parent’s. If I was to bring home a guy from a different caste they would be fine. Infect most of my family are married to people from different caste’s but apparently ‘Patel’s’ can be quite strict on this.
I can’t tell you what happens at the end of the documentary as that would just give it away. But all I can say is whether you are hitting the ‘marriage’ age now or not I would recommend watching this. If for no other reason then just to see what Ravi goes through as an Indian.
I would never say go against your parent’s will for anything but I would say that if you are not able to communicate with your parent’s and not able to tell them how you feel then that isn’t an issue with them that is an issue with you.
Funnily enough I have just made my own feature film and one of the underlying messages is just that. The youth of today want one thing and believe their parents want another but they are unable to express themselves and so they plod along in life and nod and say yes without actually giving it a thought but if they sat their parent’s down and explained how they felt the outcome could be a lot different.
http://www.meetthepatelsfilm.com check out the trailer here